EA Sports Plug it in and play TV Games

For

Against

Games aren’t like classic movies - once you’ve moved on you can rarely go back, and whoever it was that commissioned the EA Sports Plug it in and play TV Games console featuring FIFA 96 and NHL 95 basically shouldn’t have bothered.

They shouldn’t have bothered because the games are nine and 10 years old. They shouldn’t have bothered because in both instances the gameplay is poor. They shouldn’t have bothered because like the gameplay, the computer’s AI is even worse.

They shouldn’t have bothered because they weren’t that great games in the first place and (for the first few years anyway) improved with each successive version. They shouldn’t have bothered because it’s just a poor excuse to fleece even more money from you - then again this is EA we’re talking about.

They shouldn’t have bothered because the graphics are now rubbish. They shouldn’t have because the mono sound is atrociously bad compared to the 5.1 surround-sound licensed music soundtracks of the modern versions. They shouldn’t have bothered because it’s just mean to waste time like this.

In short, there isn’t a single positive element to celebrate about this console plug and play TV game. Everything is diabolical. There is a reason Electronic Arts painstakingly updates the FIFA series every year (aside from the balance sheet) - because it acknowledges that graphics, sound, gameplay and AI all move on.

They get better as the years go by, so why oh why anyone would think that we would be happy to spend and waste our money on such tedious rubbish is beyond us. Worse still, the company that makes this piece of junk even expects you to dish out for the batteries to power it.

Verdict

We wouldn’t even recommend buying this even if you are intrigued at how bad it is, nor should you inflict it on any nagging kid who’s aching for a console and not allowed because of their age. Everything is poor and there is not one saving grace here. If you really must replay your gaming history, then go and find a version of Sensible Soccer for your mobile or something - at the very least you should go to a boot sale or Ebay and find this game for your PC for a quid, but please don’t waste your frustration on this piece of junk - we’ve suffered so you won’t have to.

Stuart has been a tech journalist since 1998 and written for a number of publications around the world. Regularly turning up on television, radio and in newspapers, Stuart has played with virtually every gadget available.